The Colt Model 1911 was designed by John Browning, designer of a number of modern firearms. The pistol was initially designed to comply with the requirements of the U.S. Army to replace the .38 caliber revolver. In March 1911, the Browning-designed .45 automatic pistol manufactured by Colt was selected as the official sidearm of the armed forces of the United States of America and was designated the Model 1911. Because of its speed, reliability and distinguished history, the 1911 firearm is still popular today with gun enthusiasts and collectors. Various models of the 1911 have been produced by various manufacturers such as the government model MKIV/80 and an officer's model both manufactured by Colt. Other have been manufactured and produced by various manufacturers such as AMT, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory and others.
In order to disassemble the 1911 for repair or to clean the firearm, the procedure for the various models is basically the same. The procedure involves rotation and removal of the barrel bushing and the recoil spring plug. Rotation and disassembly of these parts can sometimes be accomplished by hand without the use of any tools. However, such procedure may be difficult as normal procedure is to depress the recoil spring plug and at the same time rotate the barrel bushing by approximately ¼ turn. Once the barrel bushing has been rotated, the bushing and the barrel can be removed. The manual procedure may be difficult because of the necessity to depress the plug and rotate the barrel at the same time. Therefore, a tool is sometimes used in connection with the rotation of the barrel bushing. The tool may be simply a wrench having an aperture generally in the shape of the barrel bushing which is fitted over the barrel bushing and turned to rotate the barrel bushing.
The prior art also discloses several other types of tools for this purpose. U.S. Design Pat. No. 407958 shows a lockout, safety and bushing removal tool for an automatic handgun.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,411 discloses a tool for rotating a barrel bushing or spring plug in a 45 caliber pistol. The tool has a flange to prevent the uncontrolled ejection of the plug and spring. The tool includes a recess for partially receiving the ejected plug. Studs are positioned to control the amount and/or direction of rotation of the bushing or plug.
While tools, as described above, are suitable for the intended purpose, they generally are elongated, wrench-style tools, which are not convenient for the user to carry in a pocket. Often it is necessary for the user to remove the bushing and clean the firearm after firing at a practice range and carrying a bulky wrench is not convenient. Further such tools are single purpose tools.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a compact tool which can be easily carried by the firearm user and which may be used to assist for rotation and removal of the barrel bushing and which includes other accessory devices for the convenience of the user.